Think you can’t….You're right!
Think you can….You're right! I wanted this blog to follow my previous blog entitled “lead with the mind” because this principle is so important in your fitness journey and truly in you overall journey in life. As a trainer and a gym rat, I have had the pleasure of meeting many different personalities that come to the gym, from the most motivated to the gym loather. Some people walk in with excitement and ambition for their goals (sometimes a little too ambitious...lol). They have so much enthusiasm and drive that it becomes contagious. They buy all the products, ask all the questions and can’t wait to tell you about how their workout is going. They feel everyone just NEEDS to know what they lifted and what they eat. I love these people because they have the right attitude and the right state of mind. SUCCESS is the only thing they focus on and that’s why they achieve their goals. Then there is the complete opposite side of the spectrum. The type with failure written all over there face. They come into the gym with a negative attitude, which aligns them with failure before they even step in. I’m not talking about having a bad day or something else major happening in life because that is normal and happens to all of us. I mean someone who specifically hates the gym and doesn’t want to be there. They are usually in a rush and give themselves little to no time to have a decent workout. Everything is too hard so they do cardio and maybe light weights but essentially are just going through the motions. I hear them say… “I’ll never lose my tummy”, “this is so hard!”, “I’ll never change” ect. My only thought is, “You know what…YOU’RE RIGHT!!!”. With that attitude why even walk in? All you will do is validate the feelings and assumptions that you walked in with. You put in less than half the effort and expect to fail. I’m not trying to be rude or discouraging, I’m just being honest. It all starts with your mindset. Whatever you tell yourself and whatever thoughts are consuming your mind will be what happens to you. Your subconscious is very powerful and the certain beliefs you develop about yourself will significantly determine how you live your life. For a period of time when I was younger, I lived in an environment that was draining, negative and depressing. I tried to get out the feeling of being in a rut but I could not. My environment was affecting my subconscious and letting me except that negative reality and I realized I had to get out of the negative environment in order to move forward. Once my environment changed, my view of myself and my possibilities changed. One of the main reasons I love the gym and church is because of the extremely positive environment. The gym and church are the two most positive and uplifting environments you could be involved with. They are filled with people who are happy, loving, encouraging, supporting, and caring. People come here to be part of a community, a family of like-minded people that care for one another and share similar experiences and passions. I strongly encourage you to get connected to both. Now that you have an understanding of how powerful your mind is over your life, apply this concept for yourself. Think you can’t….Your right! Think you can….Your right! Think positive and be optimistic because if you stay consistent, push to your max daily and believe in your heart that you will reach your goals… YOU WILL!!! Cut out the negative self-talk, the “I cants” or “I will never”. For some of you this is your first time starting your fitness journey and it’s going to be challenging at times but believe me when I tell you that mastering your mental game will substantially affect your overall goals. With all the external factors that are barriers to overcome, let’s not have an internal barrier as well. Know that the hard work you are putting in through diet and exercise is working and be excited as you see your results, rejoice in the small things! Tell everyone about your life change and get that support from family and friends. The ones that really support you will keep you accountable and will encourage you every step of the way. Essentially, as they see your attitude and lifestyle change, you will inspire them! The more excited and passionate you are about your new healthy lifestyle, the more second nature it will become. With this new mindset it will no longer be a question of “will it happen, but rather when it happens” Take the steps to truly learn how to be a master of your mind Until next Time God Bless Daniel (Read my previous blog, “Lead with your mind”) Photo- Tiffany after 6 months, 32lbs and 47.5 inches LOST. She knew she could and she did!!!
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I feel this is one of the most important philosophies in the gym and in life. When I began my fitness transformation years back, it started with my mindset. I had a concrete vision on what I wanted to accomplish, how strong I was going to be and even what I was going to look like. I took that vision and worked with passion and determination to achieve it. It was my focus, my goal and my destiny! It was the first thing I thought about when I woke to when I laid to rest and I learned to loved how it consumed me. Even though it took years for any real change to occur, failing never crossed my mind. I knew it was going to happen and all I had to do was keep working and doing the right things. I had faith, that pure untainted faith that comes from deep within. To trust in what you’re doing is the right thing and knowing the appropriate outcome will occur.
As we get older and have so many things going on in life , we can feel overwhelmed and wish we could focus more of our time and energy on ourselves; going to the gym, yoga, sports, swimming, running, cooking meals/eating clean, getting rest etc. Life gets in the way and I understand sometimes personal fitness is not the most important thing at that point in time. That being said what I’m talking about today is mindset. Whatever you put your focus on you will achieve and as long as you always have fitness as part of your focus, you will always achieve it. It might take a little longer but be patient and don’t give up. We have to realize that fitness is a lifetime journey which evolves and never stops. Just because you miss a workout or you might indulge in something you know you shouldn’t, so what!! Tomorrow is another day and you have the rest of your life to make up for it. Having a positive and optimistic mindset is essential to achieving your goals. Think about it; how can you achieve any goal unless you believe you can in the first place (Read my blog about setting 90 day goals). Have faith and truly believe that you will transform into that new person that you envision. That person could be the old you, someone you admire, something you would like to perform for the first time or you could set your goals really high and want to look and be as strong as my superhero action figures….lol. Once you have your vision, commit to work as hard as you can towards it every day. This is the hard part because we all know that no two days are the same but that’s ok; just do what you can that day. If it’s that you didn’t eat the doughnut in the staff room and had an extra three glasses of water because you had a crazy meeting today, that’s progress and it’s amazing. It’s about being realistic and consistent, the more consistent you are trying to do the right things it then becomes a habit and then eventually a new lifestyle. Change your focus from all the negative self-talk. Stop focusing on the things you don’t like about your body and the obstacles you face. Often I find we tell ourselves that we hate a certain area of our body or we say we will never achieve this goal, so you never really try to change it. It’s like we gave up before even trying and therefore we validate our failure. Instead, pay a little more attention and put a little more focus that is positive on the area you hate. Tell yourself “I can’t wait to see how my arms are going to look”, “It’s going to be so amazing when I squat 2 plates (225lbs) for the first time!!” You start to envision what you will look like or see yourself doing that squat and the body will respond to your thoughts, trust me, your mind is a powerful tool! I truly believe this was the only way I am able to lift what I do. I would wake up in the morning with my lift on my mind. I would tell my friends, classmates, co-workers, and gym buddies. Everybody had to know what I was going to lift that day! I did this so it was my focus and I believed it was going to happen and when the lift came, I gave it everything I had and committed to the end. In conclusion, it all starts with the mind, so keep your mind strong and positive. Keep it holy and pure, focused on your accomplishments and happiness. When you have time to focus on you DO IT and when other things have to take priority, that’s ok. Have a positive and optimistic mindset, the body will respond to what you think and believe. The obstacles you may have to overcome to be able to achieve you goals, learn to love them and give them special attention. It’s all about mindset and I challenge you to start focusing on what you think about and replace your negative thoughts with positive ones! Buddha said it best, “The mind is everything. What you think, you become” Until next time God Bless |
AuthorDan has been a personal trainer since 2008. Archives
July 2017
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